As WSU students, staff, and faculty continue to navigate the fall 2023 semester, Information Technology Services (ITS) is excited to share the latest Zoom updates, insights, and innovations that will enhance your videoconferencing experiences and digital interactions.
We Value Your Feedback
WSU is committed to providing dynamic and robust videoconferencing capabilities, and your feedback on Zoom’s current functionality will ensure that WSU’s Zoom Services team can provide a powerful virtual collaboration environment for the university system.
Take our five-minute survey and let us know how we can improve your Zoom experience.
Zoom Apps
With expanded meeting personalization and collaboration features, Zoom Apps seamlessly combines third-party applications and integrations with the Zoom platform.
Boost attendee engagement and enhance meeting productivity by customizing your Zoom meetings with any of the following pre-approved apps and integrations.
Timer
Set a custom timer or choose from a convenient preset and track the duration of tasks with a stopwatch function. Set in-meeting timers for personal use, or make them visible to all participants, and improve your time management skills in all your meetings.
Kahoot!
Host a Kahoot! quiz directly within your Zoom meeting. Participants enter the game PIN and submit answers in the Kahoot! controller within the Zoom side panel. Eliminate switching to a web browser, sharing your screen, or playing on a second device. Quickly start your Kahoot! sessions by sending the app to everyone within the meeting in one click.
Notejoy
Efficiently capture and share virtual notes with just a few clicks. Create new and instantaneous meeting notes, allow attendees to edit your notes in real time, and email notes to attendees after your meeting. Take attendance and automatically build a participants list.
Miro
Build collaborative, virtual whiteboards with Miro’s digital sticky notes, diagramming and drawing tools, timer and voting apps, and over 1000 templates for team activities, mind-mapping, and brainstorming.
Virtual Backgrounds
Set a virtual background from a selection of over 2 million high-resolution images.
Prezi Video
Connect Zoom directly to Prezi Video and share your content with meeting attendees in real time while maintaining the face-to-face interaction of videoconferencing. Deliver interactive visuals and increase meeting engagement with the power of Prezi’s presentation capabilities.
Calendly for Zoom
Automatically integrate Zoom meeting details for your Calendly events. Calendly will include all necessary Zoom details in the calendar event sent to your invitees once you schedule an event.
Google Workspace
Streamline how you schedule, start, and manage meetings from your personal Gmail and Google Calendar.
Zoom for Doodle
Automatically include a unique Zoom meeting link in every meeting you schedule with Doodle and view all scheduled Doodle meetings in your Zoom upcoming meeting list. Eliminate the need to manually add or update meeting links in Doodle when creating new Zoom meetings or changing meeting details.
Mentimeter
Share Mentimeter presentations within Zoom without alternating between applications. Conduct live polls, quizzes, word clouds, open-ended questions, Q&A’s, and more to capture real-time input in your Zoom meetings.
To find more information on requesting access to a Zoom app or integration that is not pre-approved or currently available for installation, please email WSU’s Zoom Services team and provide a use case for why access is needed and beneficial.
Zoom Notes
Now available for all WSU users, Zoom’s Notes tool is a new note-taking feature built directly in the desktop application that allows you to quickly capture thoughts, action items, important tasks, and more from within your meetings.
With Notes, you can help drive productivity by seamlessly collaborating before, during, and after your meetings:
- Before a meeting: Create a note, build an agenda, and share it with attendees in advance of the meeting.
- During a meeting: Open a note and share it with others so you and attendees can collaborate in real time.
- After a meeting: Share a note with anyone who may benefit from the content for asynchronous collaboration anytime, anywhere.
Read more about getting started with Notes on Zoom Support.
Translated Captions
Supporting caption translation for over 20 languages, Zoom now offers a new translated captions feature that allows participants to translate a meeting’s source language into English captions or translate English into captions in their preferred language in real time.
With this feature, you can facilitate inclusive, streamlined communication in every type of Zoom meeting and remove language barriers from your ability to connect with meeting participants of diverse backgrounds.
To request a license for Zoom’s translated captions, please complete this form.
Digital Signage
Share engaging, custom visual displays to create a modern virtual experience in numerous open meeting spaces, including conference rooms, group study rooms, offices, lobbies, hallways, and more, using Zoom’s versatile digital signage capabilities at no cost with WSU’s videoconferencing license.
Digital signage access is completely free to all WSU employees, with the only expected costs being the purchase of a display device, which can be a monitor, screen, TV, tablet, kiosk, or similar device, and any additional hardware that may be required to make a device compatible with digital signage displays.
The advanced, yet user-friendly, technologies of Zoom’s digital signage allow you to display images, videos, social media feeds, external video platforms like YouTube, websites, and different forms of multimedia on display devices located in Zoom Rooms and other on-campus spaces.
To provide a specific and specially tailored meeting experience for all attendees or viewers, you can create and assign customized digital signage to every Zoom Room display at the room, floor, location, or account level.
When Zoom Rooms that allow users to host and join meetings are not in use for screen sharing and virtual meetings, you can wirelessly display signage by configuring multiple images, videos, or forms of media to rotate through numerous sources of content with customized timing intervals.
Don’t have access to a Zoom Room, or aren’t interested in using one? Departments can also create unlimited digital signage only displays for free. The only requirements for a digital signage only display is the device (monitor, screen, tablet, etc.) and separate hardware that will allow you to show content or share your screen on the display device. To view a list of Zoom’s suggested equipment for digital signage only rooms, please visit Zoom Support.
To gain access to Zoom’s free digital signage features, please connect with WSU’s Zoom Services team.
Read more about digital signage on Zoom Support.
Zoom Webinars and Zoom Events
Take advantage of WSU’s robust Zoom licensing by expanding your reach and connecting with your audiences using Zoom Events or Zoom Webinars.
Zoom Webinars
Is your department interested in hosting high-quality virtual presentations featuring key speakers? With Zoom Webinars’ webcast capabilities, you can connect with a large online audience and spotlight your presentation from any location, using any device.
To request a Zoom Webinar license, please complete this form.
Deliver captivating presentations and best manage large virtual events with Zoom Webinars’ advanced tools:
- Ideal for large, one-to-many online webcasts.
- Host sessions up to 30 hours long.
- Built-in practice sessions to perfect presentations.
- Chat panel and Q&A feature to engage attendees in the conversation.
- Stream to third-party platforms like YouTube to increase presentation reach.
- Invite 100+ interactive video panelists with 49 viewable on screen at one time.
- Brand webinars with matching virtual backgrounds and name tags.
- Create and launch a poll or quiz for instant, in-meeting feedback.
Build Connections: Webinar Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms allow you to split your Zoom Webinar in up to 200 separate breakout sessions. While webinar attendees are in a breakout room, they will have the same audio, video, and screen share capabilities as a typical Zoom Meeting. Upon returning to the main webinar session, they will return to the standard view- and listen-only role.
Engage Your Audience: Webinar Reactions
Webinar Reactions allow attendees and other panelists to send real-time feedback without interrupting the presentation, helping hosts and presenters gauge audience engagement. These reactions appear in the bottom right corner of the video or shared content window and fade away within seconds.
Zoom Events
The Zoom Events platform has exactly what you need to host a large-scale virtual event like a career fair, a meet and greet, an expo, a multi-day training seminar, and more.
To request a Zoom Events license, please complete this form.
Enhance your virtual event experience and simplify event management with Zoom Events’ advanced features and innovative tools:
- All-in-one virtual and hybrid events platform for hosting multi-day, multi-session experiences.
- Robust registration and ticketing.
- Display speaker photos and bios on the event page.
- On-demand video library that lets attendees access content after an event closes.
- Networking features that enable attendees to view other event participants and identify key individuals they want to connect with before an event begins.
- Organize upcoming events and past recordings in one location.
- Virtual Expo Floor lets attendees engage in live conversation and explore content within customizable Expo booths.
WSU offers Zoom Events licenses at no cost to help you host any single-session, multi-session, and concurrent session virtual events.
Zoom Events vs. Webinars: Key Differences
Built on Zoom’s secure and reliable video platform, both Zoom Events and Zoom webinars are equipped to help you organize noteworthy virtual experiences and lead important discussions with ease.
Although both services are designed to simplify event management and provide a high degree of customization, choosing between the two powerful solutions can depend on your specific event needs, such as the level of interaction, event size and scale, the number of sessions, and the experience you want for your participants.
Zoom Events vs. Webinars: Key Differences
Built on Zoom’s secure and reliable video platform, both Zoom Events and Zoom webinars are equipped to help you organize noteworthy virtual experiences and lead important discussions with ease.
Although both services are designed to simplify event management and provide a high degree of customization, choosing between the two powerful solutions can depend on your specific event needs, such as the level of interaction, event size and scale, the number of sessions, and the experience you want for your participants.
For a comparison of Zoom Events and Zoom webinars, please see the table below to determine which solution best fits your virtual event needs:
| Zoom Events | Zoom Webinars |
|---|---|
| Build and organize multiple virtual and hybrid events in a single platform. | Schedule virtual presentations as effortlessly as a regular Zoom meeting. |
| Host any events, including presentations, collaborative meetings, and more. | View-only experience for attendees. |
| Collaborative experience for attendees. | Create webinars with event dates and times and invite co-hosts and panelists. |
| Create a hub with event names, dates, agenda, and speakers to provide a preview of sessions and speakers to guests. | Develop a custom, branded registration page to attract guests to your event. |
| Customizable registration and ticketing capabilities. | Customizable branding features for banner images, logos, cohesive virtual backgrounds, and individual panelist name tags. |
| Connect with audiences of any size. | Present to large audiences of up to 1000 attendees. |
| Send attendees e-invites for your events. | Invite attendees with one link. |
| Facilitate practice sessions with speakers and panelists. | Facilitate practice sessions with speakers and panelists. |
| Add an online expo floor to facilitate virtual networking. | Enable webinar reactions for instant feedback. |
| Hold an event lobby for attendees to access chat channels. | Host Q&A sessions to encourage open dialogue with attendees. |
| Access high-fidelity webinar recordings and post session recordings on your event hub. | Live polling and quiz feature. |
| Attendees can access and live session previews before joining in the lobby. | Attendees can join at any time with no distraction to panelists or hosts. |
| Live-stream webcasts on third-party platforms. |
It is important to note that Zoom Events is an all-encompassing service that provides access to all webinar and meeting features. By offering more comprehensive tools, including features like virtual lobbies, panels, expo floors, and more, Zoom Events not only serves as an upgraded extension of Zoom Webinars, but it also helps facilitate highly interactive and collaborative digital events.
Cloud Recordings
Manage your WSU Zoom meeting recordings effectively by becoming familiar with the different retention timeframes for cloud recordings. Meeting recordings are automatically deleted after 365 days for WSU staff, or 425 days for Video Conference (VC) instructors.
To retain recordings beyond these timeframes, please download them using local storage options.
View, download, or delete your cloud recordings through the WSU Zoom portal:
- Sign in to wsu.zoom.us with your WSU credentials.
- Click Recordings on the left navigation menu.
- Click the Cloud Recordings tab.
- Select a recording and you will then see options for managing the recording.
Learn more about managing cloud recording in this Zoom support article.
Zoom Meeting Security Requirements
WSU requires all Zoom meetings be secured with one of the following security options: passcode, waiting rooms, or required authentication to join the meeting.
Enabling required authentication as the primary security option for your meetings is highly recommended as it helps protect from Zoom bombing and helps technical support teams respond to calls for assistance. Waiting rooms and passcodes are also excellent security options for securing meetings with non-WSU participants. Zoom will always enable a waiting room by default if a meeting is scheduled without a pre-selected security option.
Edit or update the security settings for your existing meetings through the WSU Zoom portal:
- Sign in to wsu.zoom.us with your WSU credentials.
- Click Meetings on the left navigation menu.
- Click the Upcoming tab.
- Click the title or topic of your meeting.
- Click Edit at the bottom.
- In the Security section, you can then enable and disable the available security options.
Learn more about securing your Zoom meetings in this WSU Knowledge Base article.
Zoom Version Updates
Prepare for mandatory Zoom updates that take place on the first Monday of each month by reviewing all relevant update information in the WSU Knowledge Base one week ahead of the version release date.
Installing the latest version of the Zoom desktop client and mobile app on your devices is a university policy requirement enforced to improve device health and security, and ensure you receive enhanced video and audio quality when using the videoconferencing service.
Questions?
Explore the WSU Knowledge Base for additional instructional Zoom guides covering WSU Zoom account access, meeting controls and settings, privacy and security options, and much more.
Please direct questions to WSU’s Zoom Services team via email at zoom.support@wsu.edu.
Meet the Team
Travis Williams
Manager, VC Infrastructure and Support
Given my role at WSU, I cultivate a team with expertise and leadership in videoconference delivery and management. My team represents WSU’s distance education and collaborative communication interests. We strive to conduct outstanding support for the WSU community, providing tools and transparent reporting to technical teams across the institution. My goal is for stakeholders who engage my team to have a positive outcome, and also to feel confident the service they rely upon is in the best hands possible.
Brandon Henry
Video Conferencing Specialist
As a video Conferencing specialist, my role is to provide technical support and training to Washington State University Zoom users. I enjoy serving WSU customers because it allows me to help create meaningful connections and facilitate seamless virtual interactions, ultimately improving the user experience and achieving the goal of enhancing collaboration and communication within the WSU community.
Casey O’Leary
Video Conferencing Specialist
As a graduate of WSU myself, I have always enjoyed my experience within the WSU community. Previously, this was as a student and sports fan, but now I’m able to contribute in a professional manner by providing technical support, training, and administration of WSU’s video conferencing service. My goal is to provide the highest level of service within my capacity in ITS, so that we can continue to grow and progress the overall WSU community.